Foreign Affairs Committee

CommonsSelectest. 03 May 1979Email ↗● Actively Monitored
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Sessions analysed55
Commitments90
Positions263
Recommendations137

Latest Signals

07 Sept 2026Kurdish political inclusion remains minimal despite security dealConcern
“[Speaker: Dr Turkmani] Hardly anything. There are no roles in Government. In the previous Government that was put together, the Minister of Education came from a Kurdish background, but he was not somebody that the north-east Kurdish community nominated. They have nothing legally protecting them. They have only some cultural rights now being protected, such as the Kurdish language, the right to teach it and so on.”
07 Sept 2026ISIS remains a threat, especially where governance is weakConcern
07 Sept 2026New parliament still weak, unevenly representative and limited in powerConcern
07 Sept 2026Israel seen as destabilising Syria and exploiting Druze linksConcern
07 Sept 2026Property rights and law No. 10 remain major obstacles to returnConcern
07 Sept 2026Civil society involved, but coordination with government remains hardConcern
07 Sept 2026End of Assad seen as positive but transition not yet democraticPosition
07 Sept 2026Syria seeking neutrality while Iran’s role has weakenedPosition

Recent Sessions

View all (55)
08 Sept 2026CHOGM: Commonwealth relevance, climate and reparations
2 pos2 concern2 rec1 disag
07 Sept 2026UK Syria strategy: governance, aid, and embassy return
5 commit2 pos11 concern5 rec
14 Jul 2026FCDO: Gaza, sanctions, AI and soft power
5 commit5 pos1 concern2 rec1 disag
07 Jul 2026FCDO: Israel-Palestine follow-up and Lebanon
7 commit15 pos3 rec
29 Jun 2026Jerusalem Holy Places: status quo and access
7 concern2 rec1 disag1 leg
09 Jun 2026Integrated Security Fund: conflict prevention cutbacks
7 concern3 rec1 disag

Recent Commitments

View all (90)

Recent Recommendations

View all (137)

Frequent Witnesses

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office11× · 125 insights
Chatham House5× · 21 insights
FCDO3× · 42 insights
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office3× · 26 insights
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)2× · 36 insights
British Council2× · 20 insights

About this committee

The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee scrutinises the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and broader UK foreign policy. The Committee takes oral evidence from government ministers, civil servants and external witnesses across a range of international issues. It operates as a departmental select committee with power to require witnesses and documents. Recent inquiries have examined the Foreign Secretary's appointment processes and security vetting procedures, including questioning FCDO and Cabinet Office officials on the Mandelson appointment and vetting protocols in April 2026. The Committee has also investigated UK-EU relations on Gibraltar, hearing from Gibraltar's Chief Minister on the proposed fluid border treaty, and conducted inquiries into disinformation and its role in UK foreign policy, hearing from the Kyiv Mayor on Ukraine in February 2026 and examining platform actions against disinformation campaigns. A separate inquiry into Venezuela explored the international law dimensions of US intervention in the region.